The doors to the ivory trade in China closed on Sunday, as the world started 2018 a step closer to a land free of the slaughter of endangered animals.

That was the message from the State Forestry Administration, which said the country has honored its commitment to end commercial processing and sales of ivory by the end of 2017, calling it a "new year gift to the elephant".

It means all 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues have closed in what was once the world's largest ivory market.

"The Chinese authorities will continue to clamp down on ivory collection as well as the processing, sales, transportation and smuggling of elephant tusks," the administration said............